Mehal Shah Emerges as New ‘Jeopardy!’ Champion Despite Tricky Music Clues

Viewers of «Jeopardy!» experienced the crowning of a new champion during the episode aired on Wednesday, November 20. The game show featured a series of striking moments, including an AC/DC song title misfire, which left both contestants and host Ken Jennings in a moment filled with tension and humor.

Heather McCullough, the reigning champion from Baltimore, Maryland, entered the game with a one-day total of $18,200. She competed against Mehal Shah, a software engineer residing in Seattle, Washington, and Elizabeth Little, a writer based in Los Angeles, California. Shah quickly took the lead in the «Jeopardy!» round by identifying the «Key West» and «Key Largo» locations under the «Road Trip» category, which gave him a $1,400 advantage.

As the rounds proceeded, Shah managed to maintain his lead through Double Jeopardy, despite a notable miss during the «3 of The Same Letter» Daily Double. He wagered a conservative $800 on the «Authors Epitaphs» clue seeking «Virginia Woolf» and was unable to come up with the correct response.

The game took an interesting turn when a $400 clue from the «A Little Night Music» category came up, inquiring about the AC/DC song with the lyric «The walls were shaking, the earth was quaking.» Both Shah and Little misidentified the song, leading to a pause from McCullough and a quip from Jennings explaining the answer was «You Shook Me All Night Long.» This mishap generated lively discussions online about the difficulty of song title recognition.

In the Final Jeopardy round, under the «Figures of Myth» category, none of the contestants successfully identified «Icarus» based on a description from Ovid. Nevertheless, Shah was crowned the new champion with a total of $9,799 after his cautious wagering strategy paid off.

This episode sparked several reactions on social media and fan forums such as Reddit. Users expressed surprise at the oversight of song titles and debated the nature of other music-related clues, particularly involving artists like Migos and A$AP Rocky. Some viewers also critiqued the category themes for being too vague, hindering contestants’ performances.

Ken Jennings signed off with his characteristic blend of wit and authority, leaving fans to ponder whether Mehal Shah will continue his winning streak in upcoming episodes. «Jeopardy!» continues to be a staple of weeknight entertainment, with fans eagerly anticipating every twist and turn the iconic quiz show offers.